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People fear change. Those who fear it the most are perhaps the ones with the most to lose; those who have benefitted from the status quo. Worst of all, perhaps, is the fact that those same people who have benefitted often have the money and the influence to disproportionately shape public discourse. What they say isn’t always true.

There are those who will tell you that wind farms are without benefit. They will claim they are ugly and that they despoil the countryside, as though the countryside were a pretty picture to be admired rather than a place where resources have to be carefully balanced. As though there is no room for those of us who believe that wind turbines have a dignity and elegance of their own. They will claim they are polluting, that they keep energy barons rich on subsidies, that they are imposed on an unwilling public without due process… the list is endless.

There is very little a single voice can do in this society, it seems. But I work in the wind industry because I believe that wind power takes society in the direction it should be heading: towards a better use of resources. And so I will use my voice, so that those who are interested can hear a more balanced view.

My intent is to post once per week in 2012, taking a single incident or article about wind power and trying to provide a balanced viewpoint within the fog of propaganda. Wind farms have their faults: they are not The Answer. For today, they are a way forward. It is dangerous to society, to discourse, and to the planet to let the lies go unchallenged. Let’s challenge them.

Let’s talk some sense.

‘Turbinetastic’ has kindly agreed to syndicate his posts to this blog. This post was originally published on his own blog on 13/11/2012.

LINKS

Has our windfarm poll been hijacked?

So far we have had 51 responses. The odd thing is that over 85% of these have come from people living in Argyll and the Islands, although this area accounts for a much smaller percentage of existing and planned windfarm developments than this.

The problem with an online poll like this is that it is easily manipulated by active pressure groups, whether for or against. This is inevitable, particularly if the poll is left open for an extended period of time. Once this site is more widely followed it will hopefully be possible to have snap polls that reduce this effect. In the meantime we would have a lot more faith in the results of this poll if there was a wider geographical spread of responses. So come on people from the Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, Highland, Western Isles and Northern Isles – we know there are wind farms built or planned in your areas so let’s have your responses as well.

A watching brief on the development of Scotland’s new renewables sector. This blog will provide a day to day look at and comment on any significant developments, while the main site will offer a comprehensive source of information plus a directory of all the major players and suppliers.

The massive expansion of offshore wind, the development of tidal energy and all the changes these will bring provide much food for thought. Hopefully the blog will also provide fertile soil for discussion of the issues.